Explore The Depths Of A Waterless Sea
by heretoruinyourfandom
Summary: Everybody thinks a certain character is always so mysterious. Maybe Shadow, although everybody already knows his backstory. Everybody turns a blind eye to the very hero of them all, 'Sonic' the Hedgehog. Whoever said his name was Sonic? And since when was he afraid of water? Guess what? Everybody's a bitch.
1. Mania Memories

A drop of cold water fell in rhythm with others onto Mania's little black nose. He shivered.

It didn't help with the fact he had scratches, bruises, and other wounds littered on his body.

The bullies had decided that each should lend a helping hand, resulting in twelve people taking turns to hit him until they became bored.

It did not help at all.

They hated Mania for his freaky speed, and the abnormal coloring he possessed. How many Mobians have blue fur? One, apparently.

He would have ran away, but they sprained his ankle. Why?

He pondered that question every day. Why?

Why should he continue this life of misery?

He found no answer.

Through all of his constant wondering, he failed to notice his hazy mind drifting off into the land he clung to so dearly. Dreamland. But he was not going to dream tonight.

No, he would remember.

Mania's head slipped down slightly on the brick wall, green eyes flickering closed. His tongue lolled out a bit, and he fell into what was his memories _._

 _(Dreamworld memories brought to you by Dare The Fox)_

 _A little blue hedgehog, at age 3, was running up a large hill to a white, female hedgehog. Her bangs swept over her right eye and her emerald eyes sparkling with pride, she seemed like a perfect mother._

 _She was crouching to see through a tripod's lenses, and her jeans were ripped a bit. She wore a green polo shirt, and her green high-top converse were worn to match. The tiny hedgie was a blue running up first, gigging like a maniac along the way. Two other hedgehogs followed suit, one green and male while the other was magenta and female. They giggled just as feverently._

 _"Momma!" The young hedgehogs cried out in unison, each baring eyes of love and curiosity._

 _"Mania! Melissa! Devon!" The mother held out her arms, and went on the ground once all three fell on her._

 _The albino hedgehog enveloped all three in a tight, loving hug._

 _The moment_ was _interrupted by a sonic boom._

 _The younger hedgies' eyes lit up. "Daddy!" They tug from their mother's embrace, running with speed over to the place where the pine trees shook the most. The little needles were everywhere, crunching under the feet of the hedgehog. Melissa followed behind both, but still keeping pace. They hugged the middle._

 _A ocean blue hedgehog stood in the middle of them, smile of pride clear as day._

 _But the day was becoming dark, as shown by the gray smoke clouds herding in._

 _"Selena?" He called out._

 _The alabaster mother jogged up to his side through the trees._

 _"Ocean!" was the returning name. Selena joined the big circle, and snuggled into his fur._

 _"We can't stay." said Ocean, fearing for his family's life. "You're right." agreed Selena._

 _"Kids?" The children looked up from the hug-fest, eager to know what to do. The father cleared his throat._

 _"Let's play a game called Move and Get. I left a special letter along my way, and I'm asking you to get it! I left it sitting on a table at Auntie Sarah's house. Tell her that you have to stay a while. The last one to Sarah's house loses. Go!"_

 _The hedgehogs sprinted as fast as their tiny legs would allow them, meaning very fast for Mania. "Hey!" yelled Melissa, trying to keep up. They were so caught up in their competition they didn't notice the close rumble and squeaks of a badly oiled machine._

 _Evil laughs of a sinister man drew near, and suddenly orange and yellow sprouts rose from the calm woods. Crackles of flames filled the once peaceful silence._

 _A bomb was thrown from the shadowed robot, kicking up dirt and dust. More of the relentless blaze crawled up the helpless trees. Selena's breath hitched, and she clutched tightly to Ocean's warm fur._

 _Meanwhile, the three triplets were thrown into the air, screaming with terror._

 _Devon and Melissa landed on either side of Mania, and they grasped each other's hands as quick as they could before getting up and running for their lives._

 _They didn't get very far before Mania tripped over a small collection of the fallen needles._

 _Melissa and Devon let go and continued running. He tumbled into a ditch, and whilst trying to climb out saw a flying black object hurtling towards the two. Maria's eyes widened and watered before he yelled out and ducked. "DEVON! MELISSA!"_

 _After that, it all went black for him as dirt, wood, and pine needles flew everywhere._

 _(Memory timeskip brought to you by Dare The Fox)_

 _Ash was everywhere, cloaking even Mania in a thick layer of darkness._

 _He rose from the smoking timber, eyes still watering from the horror and the flames. Mania could still hear the road of the everlasting fire._

 _He collapsed after searching around the place, only discovering charred bones and still lit wood._

 _He couldn't believe it._

 _ThEY wEre GONe FoRevEr_

 _nO_

 _WHy_

 _(Dream ended by Dare The Fox)_

Mania's eyes snapped open, the disbelief still shining in his jade eyes. The same as Selena's.

He knew now that nothing could ever bring them back, and he knew that what happened could not be changed.

All he asked was why.


	2. Mania Is Dead

"Hey, Goner!"

Mania mentally groaned. His soggy box dripped the remnants of last night's rain, making Mania recoil once it dropped.

Goner was the nickname that he went by, but not with his permission. He hated it, but Mania wasn't in a really authoritative position. If anything, it was better than Mania.

He wasn't really depressed, but considered some... Deeper choices that involved bridges, ropes, and even knives. He still found no answer in the question he pondered.

The young but intimidating bear cub stood with his arms crossed, and Mania gripped his ceramic, chilled mug tighter into his scarcely gloved fingers. Six other animals, ranging from a dog to a rabbit fumbled with their own hands before crossing them and squinting in a laughable attempt at glaring.

"Think you're actually gonna get away, ya freak?" spoke a dusty gray rabbit. His foot hopped up and down impatiently, showing his clear distaste in the 'filthy street rat'. His voice contained a southern drawl, which was not surprising to Mania since his family moved to Halo City from Sandopolis.

Mania gazed across the collection of gang members. He could already tell exactly who they were, since he had come across them so often.

From the left there was Dodge the Dog, nicknamed for his almost supernatural ability to dodge nearly everything. Nearly since Mania had accidentally ran into him once. What happened next was definitely not the best story to tell your grandkids. His fur was pure black, eyes orange and white ears.

Next was Wonder the Snake, with his uncanny ability to ask questions about everything. His scales were a stereotypical green and a bright yellow underbelly.

Then there was Tap the Rabbit, who asked his question earlier. His ears still twitched in annoyance, showing off his namesake.

Borrow the Bear, or the leader of the gang, stood proud in the center, his stance commanding. He was know to 'borrow' objects so quick people didn't notice.

His identical twin stood beside him, who... Was simply Greg. Nobody knew what he was in the gang for.

Arson the Weasel was famous for arson. No more needed to be said. Her fur was a downy brown.

"Why?" Even Mania flinched at the dry croak his throat made, but apart of the flinch was sincere wonder. Why?

His question went unanswered as Tap's foot finally released the tension it had been holding up so long. His head snapped back upon contact. Mania's chin produced a sickening crack as tears threatened to fall. He almost cried, but it wouldn't help at all.

Borrow got his turn and threw a punch at Mania's leg.

(Timeskip so we don't have to weep for Sonic)

Mania lay bleeding on his little cardboard box, tears leaking from the little cute jade eyes from his mother.

He hated those little jade eyes, the tiny things that his mother should have kept.

He hated his life, another thing she should have kept.

Painfully pulling himself up, a tear rolling down his cheek, he reached inside his precious mug. It held his oldest creation, a little figure. A tiny doll that had belonged to his sister. He had crafted it carefully just for her.

It was her favorite, a rather small rag doll with a orange dress and a smiling head. The edges had grown worn and frayed with every day, but he loved it no matter what.

A crack of footsteps hit the cobblestone streets, only showing to his sensitive and and trained ears. Mania's eyes trailed to the rooftops, the moon barely peeping from the blanket of night that had set in.

He couldn't see anything, nor get up, so he left it alone. It couldn't be much.

While his mind was wandering, he thought about his name.

Why keep it if he hated it?

He thought about it. Mania did not want to be Mania.

... So why be Mania?...

He pulled out a book from behind his box, safe from rain by his blanket. He gained it from a donation to the homeless at a shelter.

He had ran around with excitement after receiving it. That was his last day at that orphanage.

Piled up to the height of the box were more books, finds that he hid from the rest of the world. They ranged from comics to romance novels to comedies, all special to him in their own way.

The book read 'Book Of Names And Facts About Them, by Steve Moss'.

Briefly flicking through the used pages, he came across a certain fact that interested him.

'Sonic

A high speed that is often used associated with sonic booms (see page 164).'

It seemed perfect. So... Easy.

That was it.

'Sonic' smiled at everything, from the grimy windows in the alley to the lights of the cars outside.

Mania was dead.

A new kid had been born, one much happier and brighter.

Sonic was alive.

 **Ummm... Sorry. This is my first author's note.**

 **I apologize for any words that do not make sense or don't fit in. I have a serious case of autocorrect.**

 **Please review and try out my poll to either rename or keep the title of this story.**

 **Aaaaannndddd there I go. I'm an ad again.**

 **Dammit.**

 **Sonic: Why do you torture us so much? It's not even the second story yet!**

 **Me: I'm cruel like that.**

 **I do not own Sonic or Sega. If I did half of the game\movie would be a romantic comedy and half would be angst and sad as The Titanic. I don't own that either.**


	3. The Trails We Lead Are Lost Tales Of War

**So sorry I haven't updated that much... I'm still getting used to this site. Hear that? It's my first story!** **So... On with the clip!**

'Sonic' sat in his little box Indian Style, his rather rough wool blanket sprawled across his legs.

His head was pointing downwards, and his dull blue quills were a bit blunt. They hung down, hugging his sides in a tight embrace.

Sonic's eyes wandered, taking in the dusty street. The flickering streetlight, the little moth fluttering about the light, the dirtied mug he held, and everything that people around him missed, or simply didn't take the time to sit and admire.

He watched everything, and learned some quite valuable information.

Sonic was smarter than he let on.

He had taken school books that were thrown away by people that no longer needed them, and even took cook books.

Another reason he hadn't run away yet; he would have to carry his prized books with him.

Sonic had read every book dozens of times, savoring every detail he could comprehend.

Physics, science, English, history, chemistry, mechanics, aerodynamics, and more were all stocked in his collection behind the box.

Sonic shivered. Winter was setting in, and wasn't all too kind.

The wind whistled in his floppy ears, playing the soft melody his mother would sing so softly to him, Devon, and Melissa.

His own voice sang lightly to the rhythmic melody only he could hear, as he rubbed his frostbitten hands.

Song: Paper Dolls by Rob Thomas

"Better watch yourself, cause it's gonna be a long night ahead, this is hallowed ground, and there's fear in every word that you said..."

Humming the rest, Sonic's eyelids drooped.

The enticing void that was named sleep was just so capturing, so deep, that it took the young eight year old with no trouble.

(Timeskip brought to you by the amazing Dare the Fox)

Eyes flittering open, the blue hedgehog stifled a yawn and raised an eyebrow at the clanking of metal. It wasn't the most comforting sound.

Again...?

What in Mobius?...

 **Yeah, pretty short, but I'll have him fight Egghead later.**

 **Sonic: At age eight!?**

 **Yep. I love the sweet, sweet taste of torture.**

 **Sonic: ...**

 **So... Yep. Rate and review, my Gamers!**

 **Sonic: Fair doesn't own anything but the plot. Toodles!**

 **... Did you seriously just say toodles?**

 **Sonic: ... Maybe.**

 **You know I could turn this into a sappy Sonamy-**

 **Sonic: Bye!**


	4. Attack On Dover City

The sound didn't bother him at first. Really. But the shrill squeal of a distant mech just disturbed him.

He had had (ooh, look at my amazing repeating) enough.

As the sound pierced the air again, Sonic wondered what the chances of it being bad were, whilst cringing.

Looking at both of his sides, he could see no danger of muggers.

"You'll tell me what's wrong, right Melissa?" came the childish ponder of the sitting hedgehog, his dirty paws clutching the orange doll in his hands. He almost seemed to be going insane.

"You always do."

"... Please?" a crack could be heard in his small voice, over the shout of the machine.

"You're my best friend. I think... You never really talk, do you? I wish you did. I need a friend. Everyone hates me. All I hear all day is 'Freak!' I don't even know what it means. Can you tell me? I've been..." He kept ranting to the little orange doll, its drawn on face still as an emotionless rock.

"... I guess nobody likes me. Not even you."

The realization made him tear up, his head lowering. Ears folded back and arms hugging his freezing sides, Sonic certainly looked like a pitiful thing.

" ... Maybe I could help those people...? "

His head heightened, ears slowly regaining their natural position.

"Goodbye for a bit. I'm going."

Nearly getting up, Sonic paused in his shuffling to stand in order to snatch the doll.

"Nevermind. I like you."

He stuffed the doll into his quills safely, before continuing.

Jumping to his feet, he winced at the harsh pain of a twisted ankle. The joint seemed a bit better by now, but just to be safe, he squatted down once more.

Examining it, the sides were still bruised, although definitely not in condition for running.

Then again, since when did Sonic listen to that kind of reason?

He took a deep breath, and sprinted off into the distant shimmer of a golden sunset. Not the best time to run, he thought as he glanced the darkening alleys.

It proved to be a good assumption, because just seconds later he smashed into a silver pole. The traffic light flickered, and fell down. (Also proof Sonic has a hard head.)

Sonic groaned, lifting his hand to his sensitive head. Feeling the sticky liquid on his paws, he realized he wasn't in the best shape.

"Well, seems that traffic poles aren't nice. Picking a fight with me is actually pretty normal, but still..."

Ignoring the screaming shout of his inner voice of reason, he hopped to his feet, the burn of his ankle making him cringe.

Suddenly, the noise just... Stopped.

Not a sound other than the whistle of the wind could be heard, making Sonic's ears perk up and swivel around, trying to detect the aforementioned squeaks.

"Hohohohoho!"

It sounded like hilarious knock-off Santa Clause, but with a more menacing tone. Altogether, it had a funny affect. Covering his mouth to muffle his giggles, he ran towards the noise.

Kicking up a cloud of dust in his wake, he expected a person to yell at him. Strangely, no-one stirred at all.

He whispered to his precious doll in his quills, "Melissa, what's going on?"

The hilarious laughter of a knock-off Santa again, but accompanied by screams. Sonic paused in pure shock.

Sonic's jade eyes his mother should have kept widened, showing his fear to the gravity of the situation.

What?...

"Melissa, I don't think the people that hate me are okay."

Sprinting to the noise, he parkoured to the top of the apartment building, searching for the people who hated him.

There.

By a floating thing, a hovercraft to his trained eyes, was a large container where the screams and pleas of help seemed to be emanating from. His worry for the people who hated him was growing.

"And now, for the grand finale!" came the menacing yet funny voice from the hovercraft. Little did Sonic know that his future fat enemy was sitting calmly in his large mobile, crossing his arms with a sinister and smug grin spreading across his face.

Explosion erupted everywhere, forcing Sonic to fall from his high perch and yelp.

Hot ash fell on his nose as he lied down on the debris-ridden ground, making him sneeze.

This drew attention from the mobile, the fat man's head snapping around to get a glance at the citizen who dared defy him, and not stay in the circle of innocents.

"You!"

"Huh?" Sonic hopped to his feet, wobbling before becoming steady.

"B-but how!? You're just a kid!" The man seemed genuinely taken-aback, before returning to his snarky demeanour.

"Whatever. You will die anyways," He seemed to want to continue, but hesitated.

"Eh?"

The man turned to his robots, which Sonic had missed before. Their eyes were fixated to a permanent glare, the red dots shining with evil intent ( because that's so normal). "Fire!"

Again, the jade eyes Selena should have kept widened, and Sonic seemed rooted to the spot. Frozen in pure fear, he only just scooted out of the way in time so that he dodged the dozens of flying projectiles.

Now crouching, he maneuvered so that his body was twisting to the right in order for several lazers missed him by centimeters at most.

The bullets a bit too close for comfort, Sonic's ears instinctively pulled back.

He thought of the physics books he had read.

Curling into a ball, he shot forward at speeds he had never achieved before.

Silver metal crushed, before imploding. Standing on the opposite side of the destroyed mech, his surprised face out-matched anime faces.

Repeating the process took a while, but it worked.

The awestruck faces of the citizens nearly matched Sonic's.

The fat man grew more and more agitated, slamming his hands on the long range of buttons spanning his dial-board.

After defeating the last robot, the man's face was scarlet, flushed in anger.

"Wha- Ho- Huh?" Unable to make out any words, it was kind of funny.

"Sonic's my name, speed's my game! See yah, Egghead!"

And with that, he left the sputtering fat man and swung open the door to the escape of the innocents.

He sped away from the people who never loved him and the man he never knew, not knowing the fate that his destiny would show.

 **Yeah. I can hear your praises.**

 **Reader: What the heck is this.**

 **Ummm... Yeah.**


	5. Discoveries Of The Lost Tails Of War

Fire. All he could see. The blazing mass of orange fury just sprouted higher and higher, never able to quench it's thirst for more destruction.

The blue hedgie bit the inside of his cheek, attempting to turn his fear into anger, then into determination.

It wasn't working.

Sonic knew that he had to save the kid, that was reported to be a two-tailed fox. Parents were already reported dead, so he had to prevent another incident similar to his own.

By the age of 10 now, his body had grown accustomed to the harsh life of a vigilante.

Too close, he thought, as a fiery block of flaming wood fell inches from his forearm, which moved just in time.

The man he called Eggman was a genius, but at great consequence. The consequence, however, was being fat. Odd, but understandable.

Sonic ducked another stray piece of woodwork, tumbling to the shoddy ground. A single creak was the only warning before the floor gave way, earning a yelp.

Groaning, the blue hedgehog pushed himself up in an odd modified push-up, turning him onto his side.

Sonic jumped up again, narrowly avoiding the caving in ground.

A cry for help, barely being heard through the raging inferno of maroon.

A child.

All... Alone.

"Melissa, let's make real Melissa proud," he whispered to the doll still hidden in his quills.

Sonic still didn't have a permanent shelter, but left his books behind. His quilt, though, he kept.

Taking a deep breath, he relaxed all of his tensed muscles, pausing.

Next, he shot forward with incredible speeds, towards a closet.

Once he impacted, the wood snapped in two. A soft sob was heard from underneath a set of fireproof blankets.

Turning to the heap of hot blankets, he picked the lot up and dashed through the flames, the weight making him slower than normal.

Breathing heavily, he jumped through the window with a staggering crack.

Sonic's blue fur was ridden with specks of white ash, and he was still squinting as he hopped with a pile of blankets.

Landing on the ground finally, he wheezed; the rush had taken a lot out of him.

Staring at the pile of plush fabric, he lifted the top layer, to see a pair of tear-strewn ice blue eyes. Sobs harder than before, the fox kit flung himself to the refreshingly cold ground.

The fading cries made the hedgie curious. Looking at the two-tailed kit, he saw just a normal child.

He wasn't good with kids all too much.

Once, he had greeted a child, only to send them screeching like a banshee.

Approaching cautiously, Sonic lifted the layer again.

"Ummm... I'm not too good with kids. Hi, Tails."


	6. The Reflections Of A Shattered Mirror

His head hurt. Sonic had told the kid _the news_ , he freaked out, and now he had a depressed seven year old on his hands. He called the child Tails, but it was not the official name.

According to the police, his name was Miles, but his other family members were either _incapable_ of raising a child or dead.

That left him, the eleven year old, to take care of a little kid only four years younger than him.

That would be completely illegal, but the records on him were non-existent or heroic, leaving him in a bit of a pickle.

Now Sonic had to juggle being a hero, leading a semi-normal personal life, and take care of a young and vulnerable child, whilst still being one himself.

Quite the pickle.

Normally it would also be against the Mobian International Laws and Amendments (MILA for short) to let a child take guardianship over another child or to force the child to do so, but due to the... Unlikely circumstances (his ' _hero_ ' status) and the shady government agencies, he would have to 'Suck it up'.

And boy, did that suck.

He remembered the little talk he had with Tails about the house.

 _Just_ _don't_ _burn_ _the_ _house_ _down,_ Sonic had said. _And if you need food, just ask me._

Sonic was a good cook, although everyone believes he can't cook for his life because he buys food from vendors all the time (see my oneshot 'Baking Madness').

Forgetting that talk, Tails already had almost burnt the house down four separate times.

Once he tried to stick a fork in the toaster and connect it to the stove. No joke.

Second time he attempted to cook again, setting the oven on high and leaving freezer-burnt frozed peas and frozen carrots still inside the package in it for two hours. _Hours._ The neighbors sued heavily for that one.

Third time he put gum inside a mini-oven, hoping to melt it. Somehow, he thought it would work like melting crayons. How Sonic managed to contain that explosion is a mystery, to even himself.

Fourth time, Tails tried to cool down a bowl of chili with the freezer, stuffing it inside. Turns out that he left the fork inside, and when he tried to pull it out the fork flung itself into a toaster and destroyed the bowl, and sent it flying into the sink. While the toaster was on. Then, Tails tried to get it out with a steak knife.

Along with these terrifying disasters in the kitchen, the mischievous fox had also taken apart some things to see how they work.

So far, Tails had reverse-engineered several household appliances, including the TV, half of a recliner, the toaster, the microwave ("Why Tails? I loved Mike!"), and a watch ("... I don't even own watches. How did you even- Actually, never mind. I don't want to know.").

"Okay, no more reverse-engineering. At all. This house needs to stay together. My Soli (my idea of Mobian money) has limits, you know." he lectured the ashamed child, his orange ears flopping down and hands laced nervously in front of his belly. He had just taken apart the alarm clock.

Tails' little white muzzle was red with embarrassment, realizing his mistake.

"Sorry," was the mumble that barely made it out of the kit's mouth.

"Just don't do it again." he responded, shaking his head and crossing his arms.

Then a small smile appeared on Sonic's tan muzzle. He finally had a family.

The kit began to smile and turned to run for the hall.

Sonic began to walk to the bookcase, where he kept tons and tons of novels, textbooks, and even his old quilt. He personally named it the 'Memoir Shelf'. He wasn't normally very nostalgic, but that was his one exception.

His family was crazy anyways. Family. He liked that word. Family, family, family.

' _No offense to you, Melissa,_ ' he thought joyfully as the young fox ran down the cherry-wood hall. ' _But this family is way better than a sack of old books and a worn doll._ '

His reflections came to a screeching halt as a crash sounded from another room, and Sonic's eyes widened, happy smile being replaced with a nervous one.

' _Maybe_ _I_ _should stop reflecting. It ruins the mood of the environment, apparently._ '

Dashing to the scene, he whipped his head around for a view of the culprit.

The room was fine, but the brown couch was tipped over.

"... Tails?"

"I swear, that couch wasn't there before."

Tails' head was popping up from behind the mess.

All Sonic could do was laugh, and he didn't hesitate at all.

 **Really, this is a filler chapter, and I just felt like poking at the subject that a kid is taking care of another kid.**

 **Confusing? Definitely.**

 **Do I care? Nope.**

 **By the way, Soli is my own Mobian currency.**

 **The MILA is kind of like GUN, but less guns and secret missions.**

 **FairGamer, peace out!**


	7. Facade

His facade was perfect.

First step? Personality. Think of a happy, cocky, innocent but humorous person. Famous? Check.

That was just step one.

Step two? Hobbies. That was easy. Running.

Step three? Dislikes. He chose the things a carefree person wouldn't have the time for. Reading, listening, being smart, seeing.

Seeing wasn't about sight, but rather perception, so it was truly hard to not use this.

Then step four. Oh, boy.

Feelings. Emotions. Step four was terrifying in another person's point of view, because it meant no more.

Step four. Sweep away the broken parts of you. Lock the emotions. Be the facade.

That's why Mania's facade was so perfect.

He was the facade.

Tails didn't really know anything about him, and just went along. The parts he knew were just the silhouettes of the pieces, a puzzle with no pictures.

Mania still had the doll. Melissa loved that doll.

Mania loved Melissa, with her pretty purple-pink fur and her sweet grassy smell that reminded him of the cozy little home he had had, before he was chased into the town of the people who never loved him.

He didn't ever have nightmares of that night, but his head was full of the endless rambles and worries of Tails becoming another Melissa.

Mania remembers the aftermath of the attack on his home.

After he collapsed, he could see the charred remains of a home tainted now forever with the crimson liquid of a family's broken bodies.

He checked for bodies.

How foul was this man, this evil excuse of a living creature, to shred entire families in cold blood, and still be able to live with himself reach day?

He found bodies. They were all so small, almost frozen in time if it weren't for the flames.

The flames took rage unto the bodies, stealing the real light forever out of his jade eyes that his mother should have kept.

Selena and Ocean lay stiff, the flames never allowing their bodies to limp.

Melissa and Devon were terrified, still clutching each other's hands.

The red fury seemed to have seeped all color from them, tearing away the former bright color in the family.

Now, isn't it odd how a person could be afraid of flames and their extinguisher, water?

Well, a story most certainly could be told.

"Goner!"

Mania was staring at the flickering street light.

His attention span was relatively small, but if he focused, then he could damn well focus.

Now, though, wasn't a case of such.

Tearing his gaze from the lamp, he saw the several people that forever made his existence so miserable.

Next, he was torn from his little camp and held by the foot by Tap.

"H-hey!"

"You ain't goin' very far. We plan to go fer' a little vacation. A beach seems rather appropriate, don' cha' think?"

A panic slowly spreads through Mania's brain, thoughts racing to conclusions at thousands of miles per second as he was carried upside-down to the beach and right by the sea.

Now, Halo City was very close to Dover City, and Mania and the bullies all lived close to the border.

The Sandopolis border met with the South Island border right here, and Halo Ocean ran quite deep.

But even being thrust near the lapping water at the shore upside-down by people with likely cruel intentions was enough to even bring Shadow the Hedgehog tremors.

Next thing you know, warm screams filled the air and Mania no longer liked water.

Oh, it seems that Mania doesn't have very many good memories.

He has most with Tails, and some with the new friends he has acquired over the years as 'Sonic'.

'Sonic' was young. Not the persona, but the person beneath.

At 16, he really knew more than he needed.

And so a broken piece of glass was somehow smashed and torn and crumpled at the hands of Fate and his master.


End file.
